Improve.Memory

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Quick Tips: How to Improve Your Memory
Combine these techniques to make a customized memory system that fits your style of learning!
Organize It: Organized information is easier to find.
Learn from the general to the specific: Learning & remembering increases if we get “the big
picture” before trying to understand all the details. So, in reading a book, skim it for the general
idea first. In approaching a class, get an overview by speaking with someone who has already
taken it or skimming the textbook. List facts in alphabetical or chronological order.
Make it meaningful: When information helps you get something you want, it’s easier to
remember. If your bogged down by or unmotivated in a class, then look for connections between
what you want and what you are studying.
Create associations: When you introduce new information, you can recall it more effectively if
you store it near similar information. So, relate it to something you already know.
Use Your Body: Learning is an active process; get all your senses involved.
Learn it once, actively: Creating energy and action greatly enhances memory. Stand when you
study. Pace back and forth as you recite material. Use your hands. Learning is not a passive
activity!
Relax: When we’re able to direct our focus and attend to what we want, we absorb new
information quicker and recall it with greater accuracy. Relaxation helps us clear our minds and
focus our attention.
Create pictures: Visual information is associated with a different part of the brain than verbal
information. Creating a picture of it not only stores the information in two parts of your brain, but
also helps you connect facts and illustrate relationships. Draw it. Use color. Make the images
absurd and memorable. Mind maps can be very helpful.
Recite it: When you repeat something out loud, you anchor the concept in two different senses;
the combined result is synergistic! So, read your text out loud, talk to someone about it, flip
through your note cards….but out loud!

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Repeat it: Repetition is the most common memory device because it works. It is most effective
when you put it in your own words, because you are forced to think about it. But you can have fun
with it by making it into a song and singing it or imitating someone (Clint Eastwood, Darth Vadar)
while you recite.
Write it down: Repetitive writing is a powerful technique (remember writing your spelling words
or math facts?). Writing engages a different kind of memory and encourages logical, coherent
thought processes (and by doing so exposes gaps in our knowledge).
Use Your Brain: Work with your memory, not against it.
Reduce interference: Our brains are less effective when attention is divided between tasks. So,
develop a study space that has minimal visual and auditory distractions. Use small, frequent
breaks to refocus.
Overlearn: Study materials until it is second nature; this is more than just knowing it well enough
to take a test. Do the assignments, then pick it apart, examine it, add to it, etc. The potential
rewards are speed, accuracy and greater confidence on the exam.
Escape the short-term memory trap: Short-term memory fades quickly. To shift information to
long-term memory (and make it available for you later in the term at exam time!), do short reviews
periodically between study sessions, review your notes following class or do frequent mini-
reviews daily/weekly.
Distribute learning: Research shows that marathon study sessions are not effective. You can
get far more done in three two-hour sessions than in one six-hour session. Practice dividing your
study time into chunks with frequent breaks.
Keep a positive attitude: Studies show that if you repeat negative feelings about a subject, you
increase your changes to fail! Success is enhances by replacing negative thoughts with positive,
but realistic thoughts. For example, replace “I can’t do it.” With “It’s not easy, but I will accept this
challenge and will get closer to my goals.”
Chose what not to store in memory: Just as we choose to avoid certain foods, we can choose
not to retain certain kinds of information. Determine what’s essential to remember by extracting
the core concepts and abbreviate large passages of information into easy to digest phrases.
Combine memory techniques: All of these memory techniques work even better in
combination; the effect is synergistic!
Recall It: This is easier when you use the other principles to store information.

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Remember something else: When you are stuck and can’t remember, think of something
related to the information. Remember, related information is stored together. So, you can unblock
your recall by stimulating that area of your memory.
Notice what you remember: Memory is related to our learning styles, so we remember different
types of information better than others. Take note of what kind of information you recall naturally
and easily. Work within that strength.
Use it before you lose it: Even information stored in long-term memory becomes difficult to
access if we don’t use it regularly. So, simply read it, write it, speak it, listen to it, or apply it. This
is especially effective when you have to recall information from a previous course. Keep your
notes, texts, etc. so that you can keep the information fresh with a review.
Adapted from Becoming a Master Student by David Ellis, 8th Edition, 1997
by the Student Development & Counseling Center
Administration Building, Room 220
797-5365